Doorway gate



Dec. 4, 1951 J. H. QUINLAN 2,577,034

DooRwAy GATE Filed April 1e, 1949 Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES orme 2,577,034

UGORWAY 'GATE'.

39h11 HaQuinlan, St." Papl\,;Minn1zs APIli'catiun, April .16, 194.95;SerialgNo-i8113561,`

3 .Clajnis:` (C1. 1'60-2I=7=)1;

This invention relates to -a gate-or-a guard structure for confining-smallA children in a room or other portion of -a dwelling or enclosure and particularly to a gate adapted to be fastened in a doorway or otherpassage such as a stairway Where there are oppositely disposed walls or frame members suitably spaced for engagement with the gate members. 4

It is lan objectfofmyjinvention to provide Aan inexpensive gate adapted to be securelyheld betweenopposing wall or jamb members solely by friction and without the use of `hardware of any kind for fastening the device to the woodwork or walls of the dwelling.

A further object is to.. provide a device of the class described which may be quickly and easily secured in its operative position in -adoorway and as quickly removed and folded tocompact form when not inuse.

A particular object is to provide a gate of the class described composed of a pair of similar rigid sections hingedly connected together to. oscillate onel relativeto the other about aV vertical axis, the sections being adapted to be forcibly aligned by moderate pressure applied to the .centralportion ofthe structure whereby the pressure required to frictionally and securely engage vertically disposed members dening a doorway or other passageway is applied by toggle-like action of the gate sections.

The invention also includes certain novel details of construction which will be more fully pointed out in the following specication and claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates, by way of example and not for the purpose of limitation, a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved gate in operative relation to a door frame of common type, the vertical frame members being shown in horizontal section;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of the gate;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the same, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line IMA of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, my improved gate is composed of a pair of similar sections, indicated generally by the numerals 5 and 6 respectively, hingedly connected together by hinges 'I so that the sections may be folded to lie lat one on the other and extended in a common substantially vertical plane when in use, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 1. On the side opposite to the hinges 1, I provide a pair of latches each comprising a rigid hook member 8 pivotally connected by a 2.,', pinv 9 `to the section-,5 and',l having a free f end formed with a notchfadaptedto lreceive aolatch p in Iprojectingfrom the gate section 5. A pair of resilient cushion members II are Vmounted onV the outer ends respectivelyof-the gate Ysections 5 ,and '6'for engagement with the `vertically extending jamb members I2 of` the door frame or other passageway in which the gate is to be used (Figi). The cushionmembers II are preferably rubber .suction cups adapted to hadhere to the j amb member surfaces without damagingjthem;

Each gate section comprises 'an' upper rail I3, bottom rail `Ill and parallel extensible'rail'mem-V bers I5 and I6 which are slid-able along thevrails to adapt the gate to fit doorways of various widths. Each rail member I5 is rigidly connected inspaced parallel relation to a-member I6 bya series-of vertically extending bars II'suit'ably spaced apart one from another to prevent the escape of a small childbetween them.v Wing bolts I8 extend vertically through openings in the rail members I5 and I6 and also through elongated slots I9 formed in the-rails I3 and I4 wherebythese extensible rail members maybe secured in adjusted positionsrelative to the rails I5 and I6. As best shown inFig. 4, each of therail members I5 and VIliis guided in a channel shaped groove formed in one of the rails I3 or I4. In addition to the bars I1, the central portion of the gate is provided with a pair of spaced bars 20 which rigidly connect the upper rails I3 to the lower rails I4.

To adjust the width of the gate to t a doorway of any of the common widths, the nuts on the wing bolts I8 are loosened and the gate sections 5 and 6 are placed across the selected doorway at an obtuse angle, one relativel to the other, e. g.

as indicated in broken lines in Fig. l, and then` the extensible rail members I5 and I6 are moved outward or extended until the cushion members II make light contact with the opposed jamb surfaces of the members I2. Thereupon the wing nuts are tightened and the gate sections are forcibly aligned by pressure applied either to the central bars 2U or directly to the central portions of `the rails I3 and/or I4. Finally the latch members 8 are engaged with the pins I0 to retain the gate in the operative position in which it is securely held by frictional engagement of the cushion members II with the jamb members I2 at opposite ends of the gate. To withdraw or open the gate relative to the passageway, the latch members 8 are merely disengaged from the pins I0 and the central portion of the gate drawn outward. When not in use, the sections 5 and 6 may be folded one upon another.

The cushion members Il are preferably constructed from suitably soft rubber or similar composition which is compressible and of such character as to avoid marring the woodwork or walls with which they are engaged.

It will be evident that my improved gate is unusually simple and inexpensive in construction and is readily movable from one doorway to another for use wherever needed. No hardware is required for connecting the gate members to the woodwork or Walls and a minimum of skill is required to install and manipulate the gate to and from closed position.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In a gate for use in a doorway having oppositely disposed jamb members, a pair of gate sections hingedly connected together to extend substantially in a common vertical plane between said jamb members, each of said sections comprising upper and lower main rail members and extension rail members slidable along and extensible laterally outward from the ends of said main rail to close doorways of various widths, bars rigidly and directly connecting the main rail members of each section together, a series of spaced vertically extending bars rigidly connecting the extension rail members of each gate section together, a compressible cushion member carried by the outer end of each of said extension rail members for engagement with said jamb members and latch means for securing said gate sections in a common plane between the jamb members of said doorway.

2. In a gate for use in a doorway having oppositely disposed jamb members, a pair of gate 'sections hingedly connected together to fold one upon the other about a vertical axis, each of said sections comprising upp-er and lower main rail members of channel shape in cross section and upper and lower extension rail members slidably fitting in the channels defined by the main rail members, said extension rail members being exe tensible from the outer ends of the main rail members to close doorways of Various widths, a vertically extending bar rigidly and directly connecting the main upper rail member to the main lower rail member of each gate section to retain said rail members in fixed vertically spaced relation, a Series of bars connecting the upper extension rail member to the lower extension rail member of each section together, means for rigidly securing each of said extension rail members to a main rail member in selected positions thereon, and latch means for securing said gate sections in a common plane between the jamb members of the doorway.

3. In a gate for use in a doorway having oppositely disposed jamb members, a pair of gate sections hingedly connected together to fold one upon the other about a vertical axis, each of said sections comprising upper and lower main rail members of channel shape in cross section and upper and lower extension rail members slidably fitting in the channels dened by the main rail members, said extension rail members being eX- tensible from the outer ends of the several main rail members to close doorways of various widths, means rigidly and directly connecting the main upper rail member to the main lower rail member of each gate section, a series of bars rigidly connecting the upper extension rail member to the lower extension rail member of each section together, screw threaded means adapted to clamp the several extension rail members in the channels of the main rail members in selected positions thereon, and latch means for securing said gate sections in a common plane between the jamb members of the doorway.

JOHN H. QUINLAN.

REFERENCES CITED The folowing references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 141,677 rIuttle Aug. 12, 1873 495,272 Schramm Apr. l1, 1893 570,713 Pardee et al Nov. 3, 1896 1,493,660 Whalen May 13, 1924 2,348,561 Mutch May 9, 1944 

